Spiritus Alumni Profiles

David Byrne '10

From amateur golfer to UDM student-athlete to professional golfer, David Byrne ’10 is making strides in a game through exceptional skills, a grinding work ethic, steely determination and a bit of luck. Byrne took his first swing at age 8 and got serious about the game as a teen. In the summertime, his mother Jody, a single parent, would often drop him off at a local golf course in the morning and pick him up at sunset. He would play with all age groups, from teens to retirees. More...

Herbert Beller '65

Each day, when we get into our automobiles and buckle our seat belts, we give little thought to the mechanism that keeps us safe in potential accidents. Herbert Beller gave it a lot of thought back in the early 1970s when shoulder-strap seat belts were tight and restrictive. Consequently, people were unlikely to wear them. More...

Dick Charlton '65

An enterprising engineer by education, Richard (Dick) Charlton ’65 has ridden the crest of the country’s economic growth in a career that has spanned nearly five decades. He graduated from University of Detroit’s Mechanical Engineering program, and then worked at Michigan Bell, AT&T and Merrill Lynch before starting his own institutional investment consulting firm. A generous contributor to UDM, Charlton is grateful for the assistance he received from G.M.’s sponsorship to U of D’s Engineering co-op program. “It was the only way I could have gone to college,” Charlton said. “I learned how to compete with the best and excel.” More...

Derrick Kuzak '73, '74, '76

The logistics of running Global Product Development at Ford Motor Co. must keep Group Vice President Derrick Kuzak up at night. The University of Detroit Engineering graduate leads teams of thousands of engineers who work with designers, marketing and business professionals to create new vehicles. Multiply each of those teams by eight regions—ranging from North America to Mexico, Brazil, China, Australia, Turkey, Germany and beyond—and you get a glimmer of the magnitude of Kuzak’s job. More...